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Queen Gizmo and Socks

One of my good knitting friends, Linda, commented that she had never seen Gizmo in the blog so I felt the need to rectify that situation. So Linda, this one is for you. Queen Gizmo surveying her domain in the way she is accustomed (laying in the sun). She is a very prissy dog. She doesn't like to go outside in the rain and snow is not a thing she enjoys.

I have been working on my Lace Cuffed Socks. They are almost finished. I just need to finish the foot. They are an easy knit and I am enjoying them alot. I will have to make more out of the book Steppin' Out.





I also think spring has finally arrived in Minnesota. It is 86 degrees here. I am glad that it is here. I was getting tired of snow and cold.

Happy knitting.

Rules???? What Rules?????

Remember recently when I said that I broke the "Robin Rules"????? Well, those rules have jumped out of an airplane without a parachute. I have not one, not two but THREE pairs of socks in progress right now.


These are the socks that are taking up my time besides recovering from this junk that I think I might finally be getting over.



The purple one has a mate already patiently waiting. The greyish one is in the process of becoming a pair of socks for my husband. The pink ones are for me. I will try to post better pictures of them when the sun comes back out in Minnesota. I have no idea when that will be though.

Happy knitting all.

Watch 5 Episodes and Call Me in the Morning

I spent the weekend sick and I think I have found a new cure all for the common cold. Watch half of season one and start season two of JAG. I was a big fan of the show when it was on and I was very excited when they started coming out with the seasons on DVD. I don't think it really helped but it did keep me company while I sat in the recliner feeling miserable. If looking at David James Elliott in a Navy uniform doesn't help than you need to go to the hospital because you are REALLY sick.





If the JAG cure all didn't work finishing a pair of socks has to help right???? I finished my Seacoast Socks on Sunday. (I would have posted earlier but I was sick and then the Mouse thief was just too cute). The colorway was Sunrise and I used a basket weave pattern. I had quite a bit of yarn left over but I never make my socks very high. I prefer ankle socks for the most part. I really liked this yarn. It is very soft and I love the colors. I will admit it tends to split but the plusses outweigh the negatives to me for the this one.





And if the other two don't help new yarn can cure anything. This is what I recently got from the Simply Socks Yarn Company. I got Lorna's Laces in Hawaii and some Claudia Hand Painted in Red Wagon. The other Lorna's Laces is Daffodil from yarn4socks. I am still trying to figure out if I should use one of these for the Six Sox Knitalong or use something else. Guess I will figure that out pretty soon though.

The Mouse Thief

There is a mouse thief in our house. His name is Benjamin. He has discovered that he can reach the pull out shelf for the keyboard when he is under the desk. Good thing he is so cute huh?????

Uh Oh!!! I broke the Robin Rules

This is just a quick post. I broke a Robin rule. I never have more than one pair of socks on the needles at a time but I just couldn't resist casting this pair on yesterday after I got home. The yarn is Reynolds Soft Sea Wool and I am using a pattern is Lace Cuffed Socks out of the Steppin' Out flyer for the Reynolds Sea Wool. If this pair goes well and I like how they feel on my feet I can see myself making lots of socks out of this yarn.

Cakes and Yarn

It has been chaotic it seems around here lately. I have been doing some babysitting and it is keeping me busy and tired. That probably explains why I haven't been blogging much. I really don't have a lot to blog about either. I am still working on my socks and I told myself I wouldn't blog about them anymore until they are done. I am decreasing the gusset stitches right now so I hope to be done with them soon. They are looking great so this will give you a reason to check back early next week.


I also got some yarn from the yarn4socks sock club. It was nothing like I expected it to look like but I really like it alot.


Emily and I decided to bake a cake for Brett (my wonderful husband). His birthday was last week but I was under the weather so we made one today. She had lots of fun cracking the eggs and she does really well getting it cracked just right. She also got to stir it up. I am so enjoying having little girls they are so fun to do the "cooking things" with. I hope Ben wants to help too when he gets older.

Take care and happy knitting.

I Have Been Knitting Honest!!!!!

I seem to have reached a "knitting block" it seems that everything I have worked on lately has ended up in the frog pond. I think I am starting to find the shore though.
I got some wonderful yarn from the Loopy Ewe that "spoke" to me. I got it in the mail and I must have had some kind of unconscious urge to mess up the sock I was already working on to use this yarn. So my Fleece Artist sock got frogged for the Seacoast Panda in Sunrise. This sock tried to be a Monkey sock but I couldn't get the cuff to work right no matter what size needles I used so it has turned into a form of a basketweave that seems to be going along just fine. I started the heel flap today and hope to have the first one finished by Sunday. I am not a big fan of tall socks so I think this is possible.

I also got another hank of the Seacoast in Maine. This yarn is so wonderful though it does tend to split a little but I think I can live with it.

I have been working on my Branching Out Scarf. It is moving along nicely. I think if I continue to enjoy knitting on it, I will turn into a lace knitter yet.

I also have to put in a big WOO HOO for the Kansas Jayhawks. They made it to the Elite 8. Rock Chalk Jayhawk GO KU.

KANSAS PRIDE

This little short post is so not knitting related. I am a transplanted Kansan. There are very few people that don't keep track of Kansas Jayhawk basketball, and the ones that don't pay attention just don't know what they are missing LOL. I will admit that I am not a very good watcher of basketball. I get way too nervous when they are playing and if it is not going "our" way I will admit I tend to turn it off because I feel that I jinx them. That sounds really strange I know but that is just how it is. Those Kansas Jayhawks are going to the Big Dance with a NUMBER ONE seed. I hope they do well. Go Jayhawks.

Finished Object, Frogging and Casting On

Well I am so excited that I finished a project that has been hanging out at my house for a VERY long time. I started the Pop Top Mitts (I think last spring or summer), I finished the first one back in October, I think, and I finally cast on the second one last Friday and finished it on Monday. Why did it take me so long to finish this project. It wasn't a difficult knit. I think I just didn't like the idea of having to make those fingers and rejoining the yarn. Why do I make things seem more difficult than they are???? That is something for me to ponder I guess.

The sock from the previous post has drowned in the frog pond. Yes, even after I had turned the heel and almost finished decreasing the gusset, I ripped that sucker out. I just didn't like the way it was turning out. I knew if I finished it the way it was it would probably always be a single sock and that yarn is just too pretty to be an abandoned sock. So I will look for another pattern that does that yarn justice.




Since I was disgusted with said sock, I cast on two new projects this week. I cast on the Branching Out lace scarf from Knitty and I am about done with the fifth repeat. I must remember to always use a lifeline. It sure does make lace knitting more enjoyable. I also cast on a different pair of socks. I had started a pair of Basketweave socks with my Fleece Artist Tiger and I thought that it looked like a bumble bee threw up so I frogged it. I have started on the Thuja pattern from Knitty I just added more stitches to accomodate the smaller weight yarn. They are looking pretty good so far and I am happy with them. I think I will spend some time knitting this weekend and see if I can finish a sock in less than a week.

Snow, Snow, and Conquering the Snow Blower

Well, if you are a watcher of the Weather Channel you know that it has been snowing in the upper Midwest. I, living in the upper Midwest, can attest to the fact that it has snowed. We got over ten inches since Thursday. I being a transplanted Kansan (go Jayhawks), can also say that this is the part of Minnesota that I don't appreciate. I do like the summers here though.

I probably would have appreciated it more if I wouldn't have had sick kids at the time. Ben and Elisabeth have both had ear infections and Emily had some kind of stomach bug. I think they are all on the mend though.




The snow blower and I got acquainted. Yes, I learned how to use the snow blower and I enjoyed it for the most part. The only part I didn't like was the snow being blown back in my face by the wind. This is the picture of the driveway after I finished blowing off the snow. I was pretty proud of myself.




On a knitting note, I haven't had much luck lately. Everything I have tried to knit has encountered problem after problem. I almost threw in the towel but my stash told me I couldn't. I have made progress on my sock. It is the Baby Cable Rib from the Sensational Knitted Sock book. I am using some Schafer Anne Yarn for it using 2 size 0 circular needles. I am still not sure if I like it or not yet. The previous sock from the last post got frogged because I thought it looked like a bumble bee threw up.

Elisabeth was feeling better so she was able to go out and play in the snow last night. This is a picture of her on the patio. The snow was up to her waist. She sure had a good time. Have a great day and happy knitting.

UPGRADE!!!!!!

My GREAT, FANTASTIC, AMAZING husband that loves me so much (though I have no idea why), provided me with the most wonderful upgrade this Valentine's Day. Actually, I got my uprade on Monday right before I was supposed to go to the Ladies Meeting for church (I didn't want to go but I still went). So you are wondering what is this upgrade well this is the old MP3 player that I got for Christmas a little over a year ago. It was great. I didn't mind it and I even bought a expansion card for it. So it had over a GB of memory.

Although, I still coveted one of these. Yes this is a pink Apple iPod. I was so excited. He is a wonderful husband and I have been spending lots of time lately putting music on it. I have filled up about a quarter of the 4GB space. I so love it and I am enjoying tremendously. Brett, Thank you. I love it.

Now on to the knitting front, Here is some amazing yarn that I got in the mail from my favorite online store. The two hanks on the left are JKnits in San Diego and Kansas colorways. They are so soft and I picked those two colors because I went to San Diego on my honeymoon and I am from Kansas. The last hank on the right is Posh Yarn in Feather. It is so pretty and I can't wait to knit it but I always seem to start a different pair.

>
I am still working on this pair of socks, this is the Basket
weave pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks in Fleece Artist Tiger. I am having a problem with frogging with this pair and this yarn tends to split which is kind of annoying me at this point but I WILL WIN. I am also really enjoying the two circular method over the dpn's. I am noticing less ladders which I am really liking.

Happy Knitting and have a great day.

Getting Faster

I am getting faster at this sock thing. I love socks and that is pretty much all I want to knit these days. I just finished my socks from the Sweet Georgia Yarn colorway Coffee Bean.

They were started on January 27th and I finished them on February 11th 2007. That means it only took a little more than 2 weeks to make this pair. Much improved over the 5 and 1/2 months (yes, I said months) to finish my first pair and about seven weeks to finish the second pair I made. I have already cast on another pair with Fleece Artist's Tiger. I am using another pattern from the FABULOUS Sensational Knitted Socks book. Okay, I am off to knit on my new socks some more. Have a great day.

What a Difference A Year Makes

We had a milestone in our house this week. Ben turned one. I spent Wednesday evening reminiscing about the day he was born. I tend to do that when we celebrate one of the children's birthdays. This year went by so fast and our lives have changed too. Elisabeth and Emily are both in school and two mornings a week I am just the stay at home mom of one. It seems to be lots quieter then. I do miss them while they are gone at school though. Here are the pictures from when Ben was born to Wednesday when he celebrated his first birthday.

I have been knitting and will post some of my pictures of newly acquired yarn and work in progress tomorrow.

Alphabet

Janice sent this to me so I thought I would pass it on, I have to admit that we think alike on a few things.

The Alphabet Meme:

A - Available or Taken: Taken
B - Best Friend: Brett (I am lucky to be married to my best friend!)
C -Cake or Pie: Cake and Pineapple Pie
D - Drink of Choice: Diet Pepsi, Flavored Coffee
E - Essential item you use everyday: Computer
F - Favorite Color: Red
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Sour Worms
H - Hometown: Adrian, Minnesota now; grew up in Wichita Kansas
I - Indulgence: Starbucks Coffee Almond Fudge Ice Cream and Sock Yarn from Sheri
J - January or February: February the month Ben was born
K - Kids & ages: 3 Kids: Elisabeth 6, Emily 3, and Ben 1 on Feb 7th
L - Life is incomplete without: Jesus :-)
M - Marriage Date or Most Memorable Date ( and why): Wedding Date 07/13/96
N - Number of Siblings: 3 brothers and 3 sisters. No I am not Catholic LOL
O - Oranges or Apples: Honey Crisp or Fuji Apple (wrapped in caramel is good.....)
P - Phobias or Fears: I hate Bugs. I hate when they crunch. Yuck. I am also afraid
of passing semi tractor trailers. I am always afraid they will try to run me off the road
like in the movies.
Q - Fave Quote: Everybody is somebody elses weirdo.
R - Reason to Smile: My kids
S - Season: Spring
T - Tag 3 or 4 People: Linda, Rebecca,
U - Unknown fact about me: Met my husband in a grocery store.
V - Vegetable you don't like: It would be easier to list the ones I like
W - Worst Habit: Diet Pepsi, and Starbucks Ice Cream
X - X-rays: Not very many
Y - Your Fave Food: Bowtie Festival from Johnny Carino’s.
Z - Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Sweater, Socks and Frost

I have finished Blossom!!!!!! Elisabeth was able to wear it to school today. She didn't want to wait for me to try to get the edges from rolling. It didn't seem to bother her much. It was a fairly easy knit with just a small amount of frogging. I was so excited that it fit. It was made with Sirdar yarn in pale pink. I started it December 8th and finished it January 29th.

I have started the quarterly challenge for The Loopy Ewe. It is to knit a pair of socks that are different from what you would normally pick. I am a Frank. I love wild socks. Although, I think I could switch sides over to the Martha side easily if all Martha yarns are as great as this Sweet Georgia Yarn in Coffee Bean. It is pretty close to the actual color in the picture. I am so loving this yarn. I picked a pattern out of the Sensational Knitted Socks book. I am also really enjoying this book and can see myself making lots of the patterns out of this book.

Last Thursday, it was really foggy in the afternoon and then got really cold. So the frost froze on the trees. I decided it was so pretty that I had to show a picture of our street. I love the way winter looks but I think I prefer spring and fall. I have also included another picture of Ben (I did warn you that he is cute and it might turn into a Ben Blog), this one is of him bugging his older sister Emily while she was playing on the computer.

Yarn Yippee!!!!!

I got some beautiful sock yarn that I had to show off. I have to thank the the Loopy Ewe and Lisa Souza. The yarn on the left is Zen Yarn in Peppermint Mocha and the yarn on the right is Violet Pink Ribbon. I can't wait to start knitting with them.

First, I have to finish this Blossom sweater that I am making for Elisabeth. We were supposed to go on a trip to visit family this weekend but the weathter got kind of icky so we all stayed home. It was nice to have Brett home for a couple of days in a row. When your husband only gets one day off a week that is really nice. We went to Sioux Falls on Saturday but I didn't get to any of the yarn shops over there. It is probably for the best since I have declared this month as a UFO month. I have lots of projects on the needles that either need to be finished or eliminated. I also am going to try not to buy any more sock yarn until I finish two pairs. I don't think that will happen thanks to Sheri.

It Just isn't Going to Get Done!!!!!

I have resigned myself that the sweater, I was hoping to get done before we left this weekend, isn't going to be done. I do have the sleeves finished and I am now working on the body of the sweater. I am about four and half inches into it. Hopefully I will finish it soon. No worries, knitting is the journey not the finished product.

I have posted pictures of the girls before but thought I should add another since Benjamin got some blog time. They were playing Wonder Pets the other night and I had to take a picture of them in their "costumes". The visor on Emily's head is her "princess crown". I have also finished another book in my journey to read 100 books this year. If you like mysteries and crossword puzzles I would recommend the Puzzle Lady series written by Parnell Hall. I have enjoyed all of them. I have also been reading my Bible daily. I have read 12 days in a row now. I am trying to make this a daily habit and wonderful husband says that my mood is better.

This could turn into a Ben Blog!!!

If Benjamin keeps being so cute, I will have to quit knitting and just take pictures of him. NOT.

I don't think I could quit knitting if I tried and I don't really want to try anyway so I guess it is a moot point.

I have been working very hard on a sweater for Elisabeth hoping I will get it done so she can wear it this weekend when we go to Omaha to meet Brett's parents. This is a picture of the sleeves. I am knitting them at the same time in hopes that they will match. So far so good.

We did get some snow yesterday and last night. Elisabeth had a 10am late start this morning. Brett was wonderful enough to go and snow blow off the driveway so I wouldn't have to do it before I took her to school. I have a wonderful husband!!!!!!! I did go and shovel the snow off of my friends driveway for her since her husband was out of town and she is six months pregnant. I am just thankful that it wasn't ice. I have seen pictures on the Weather Channel of people in Missouri and Oklahoma with an inch of ice on the trees. To all my knitting friends that got stuck in that, I hope you are all safe.

Sock and Dishcloths

One of the girls on Knitting Help was talking about how many miles of sock yarn she had. I have very little compared to her but it was fun to see how much sock yarn I had and put it all together to take a picture of it. I have roughly 3.5 miles of sock yarn with about 3/4 of a mile on the way, thanks to the Loopy Ewe and Lisa Souza.

I have also discovered that I have alot of dishcloth yarn. I think it is another addiction such as sock yarn is for me. So I decided to show you my meager stash of both.

I am also trying to hold myself accountable for having a "quiet time" every day so I am going to add that in daily or as often as I post. I did have my quiet time this morning. I am trying to read through the Bible in a year and I am following the chart in the back of my Bible. I read the end of Chapter 8 in Matthew this morning and this evening I will read a couple of chapters in Genesis.

Have a great day and Happy Knitting.